Someone has said that the best way to taste a place’s culinary culture is to begin with the streets, and that’s very much true for Saigon – a notorious city for culture and food. With every district in Ho Chi Minh City comes a street (or two for some bigger ones) where you can only see one thing: food, all over the place. Forget about the beautiful and polished dishes from luxurious restaurants, it’s these streets where you will find many traditional and popular Vietnamese foods at their best: natural, tasty and warm. Combine with the atmosphere and ambience at the street, you will only want to come back for many more times just for another food tour of your own.

With that said, there are way too many Saigon streets with food for you to discover, no matter how big they are. So the question is, which ones should you head for during your travel to Saigon? Perhaps these 8 suggestions below, which will be divided into two parts, will give you some ideas, as they are some of the most representatives and essential street food corners in the town.

VAN KIEP ST. (Dist. Binh Thanh)

Taken at Ut Lang BBQ, located on Van Kiep St. 

Straddling between two of Saigon’s most vibrant districts – Phu Nhuan and Binh Thanh, Van Kiep St. has always been a popular venue for casual meals to many diners. If you are clueless about what to eat for dinner, head for this street immediately for over 50 traditional Vietnamese dishes to choose: from a hot bowl of phở, a colorful and tasty plate of cơm-tấm or bún-thịt-nướng… to the crunchiness and bright yellow color of bánh-xèo or the sweet flavors of various types of chè… there are more than hundreds of eateries for you to choose (all choices!). With the smoky atmosphere, the busy ambience from the local people and nice food in this street, it can hardly get better than this for your food tour.

SU VAN HANH ST. (Dist. 10)

Taken at Che Khanh Vy, a renowned food stall for its various kinds of Vietnamese dessert

Contrary to the somewhat taciturn Van Kiep St., Su Van Hanh St. is lively from dawn till late night. This long street has been a favorite culinary spot for many local food lovers, especially the section between Ngo Gia Tu St. and Nguyen Chi Thanh St., along with the renowned food corner of Hoa Hao St. The street always gets busy since early till about midnight with many food stalls, vendors with small plastic tables and tools, even casual eateries are also available on this street. Looking for a place with outstanding Vietnamese dessert? Block H from this street is your destination to go, as you will have the chance to taste more than sixteen different kinds of chè. Also don’t forget to try the deeply aromatic broth of mì-vịt-tiềm, with a large duck leg and the signature herb flavor that leaves you mouthwatering for it, right at the section of Su Van Hanh St. anh Hoa Hao St.

VINH KHANH ST. (Dist. 4)

A casual meal at Quan Hoa (Fire BBQ) on Vinh Khanh St., one of the most visited streets by many foreign visitors 

Ladies and gentlemen, I present you the seafood corner of Saigon – Vinh Khanh St.! As one of the most crowded and busiest streets in Saigon, it’s no surprise that there are many young diners here for a casual hangout with their friends with a hotpot beside and many fresh ingredients to try. Usually it might take a bit longer to wait for the dishes to be served since all the eateries here are quite busy, but don’t be afraid to shout out for ordering or such. If you are looking for a good place to sample some shells or octopus, this is the place to be, as your stomach will be fulfilled with many different seafood dishes with spicy flavors and colorful ingredients. Plus, there are many fire eaters, street dancers and amateur street singers that add their sounds to your dinner time here, and the unique electric vibe of Vinh Khanh St. also.

CO GIANG ST. (Dist. 1)

A close look of grilling Bo la lot, one of the popular foods in Co Giang St.

Right at the heart of District 1, Co Giang St. somehow remains quieter than the nearby well-known Western Quarters (section between Pham Ngu Lao St. and Bui Vien St.), as the street belongs to a resident area with peaceful old houses and traditional markets all over. However, the local street life and open-air eateries from dawn till late in Co Giang are just right for those who want to discover something authentic and more Vietnamese during their stay. Enjoy a peaceful evening at a steamy bò-lá-lốt stall in here, as the green color of aromatic betel leaves and the beef inside invite you for one bite, before you decide to have another roll. Moreover, the corner of Co Giang St. and De Tham St. is the home to some of the finest typical Chinese food stalls, as the takeaway dim sum food stall is cheap in price but high in quality, along with many famous outdoor restaurants with Chinese foods, such as hủ-tiếu-xào, mì-xào-giòn… and more to try.

And that’s the first part of Saigon streets for food. Stay tune to the next part to have some more ideas for your travel to Vietnam, and remember this, bring an empty stomach when you plan on having a Vietnamese food tour, or you will end up regretting not trying all that you can.